Sam-Watson-World-Record-Time

SAM WATSON

SPEED CLIMBING WORLD RECORD HOLDER

Sam Watson is the current speed climbing world record holder at 4.79 seconds. Following his first place performance at the 2023 Pan American Games, Sam qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, where he will be representing Team USA.

Originally from Texas, Sam grew up competing in lead, bouldering, and speed for Team Texas, but decided to focus exclusively on speed climbing during the pandemic. Prior to Paris 2024, he's heading to Utah for the summer to train at the USA Climbing headquarters in Salt Lake City.

In his off time, Sam is always learning. Whether mastering new languages or studying chess openings, he's a lifelong learner who likes to think outside of the box.

FOLLOW SAM AT:

FEATURED CONTENT

What’s Different About Speed Climbing This Time Around?

What’s Different About Speed Climbing This Time Around?

The Olympic record for men’s speed climbing was set by Bassa Mawem in the sport’s inaugural event in 2021. That mark currently stands at 5.45 seconds. Less than three years later, Samuel Watson set the men’s speed climbing world record time of 4.798 -- a whopping 13.6% improvement on the ...
Read More »
Training for Speed Climbing: Tips from the World's Fastest Climbers

Training for Speed Climbing: Tips from the World's Fastest Climbers

Training tips from three of the world’s best speed climbers on how to get started, get better, and get insanely good at speed climbing.  It’s no coincidence that the two most dominant athletes in the history of US men’s speed climbing are both from the same youth program. Samuel Watson, the ...
Read More »
Get to Know Sam Watson: Speed Climbing World Record Holder

Get to Know Sam Watson: Speed Climbing World Record Holder

It's official! Speed climbing world record holder Sam Watson is the newest member of Team TRUBLUE! By the time you're reading this, Sam has probably already broken his own world record pace, but, as it stands today, 4.79 is the mark to beat.I recently had the opportunity to talk to Sam Watson about ...
Read More »
How to Choose Your TRUBLUE Auto Belay

How to Choose Your TRUBLUE Auto Belay

At Head Rush Technologies, we engineer and manufacture three different models of auto belays for climbing facilities to choose from: the TRUBLUE iQ, the TRUBLUE iQ+, and the TRUBLUE SPEED. All three TRUBLUEs come with our patented magnetic braking technology and are certified for a user weight ...
Read More »
Breaking Down the Different zipSTOP Models

Breaking Down the Different zipSTOP Models

What are the key differentiators between the zipSTOP zip line brake, the zipSTOP IR, and the zipSTOP Speed? Before diving too deeply into that question, let’s first take a look at what the different models from the zipSTOP family have in common.What Sets zipSTOP Apart from Other Zip Line ...
Read More »
Copyright © 2025 Head Rush Technologies